PGA Tour
How this amateur sensation can earn his PGA Tour card this week in Phoenix

Eakin Howard
Luke Clanton is in this week’s WM Phoenix Open field thanks to a sponsor exemption, and he’s just two good rounds away from locking up a PGA Tour card.
Clanton, 21, enjoyed a breakout campaign on the tour in 2024 despite not having tour status … or being a professional, for that matter. After earning a trip to the U.S. Open and making the cut at Pinehurst last summer, the Florida State Seminole was bestowed a sponsor exemption at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, where he proceeded to finish inside the top 10. That finish gave entry into the John Deere Classic and Clanton made the most of the start, coming in a tie for second. Clanton played five more events in 2024, highlighted by a fifth place at the Wyndham Championship and another runner-up at the season-finale RSM Classic.
Thanks to the PGA Tour University Accelerated program, Clanton is just two points away from getting full status on the tour. Well, technically one, as he will earn credit for reaching his 26th week as World. No. 1 amateur on Wednesday. And the final point can be captured by reaching the weekend at TPC Scottsdale.
Should Clanton reach that mark, he has the option to defer the card and stay in school. Gordon Sargent of Vanderbilt achieved the same feat in 2023, but opted to stay in Nashville and can accept tour membership after this spring’s NCAA Championship. As Clanton explained to Golf Digest last fall, “I decided to go back for my junior year because I love my coach and teammates like family. I can keep getting better as a golfer and a person at Florida State.”
This is not the be-all, end-all week for Clanton, however. He will likely receive more chances to play on tour this season, and can clinch his tour card by winning the Ben Hogan Award as the top college player, an honor that Clanton is considered the favorite.